Beinecke Scholarship
Process
Eligibility:
Merit and need-based awards to students seeking to gain a graduate degree in the Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences. Current juniors who are U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals are eligible.
Who they are looking for:
The program seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated U.S. citizen juniors (those planning to graduate between December 2009 and August 2010) to pursue graduate studies in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Each scholar receives $4,000 immediately prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 while attending graduate school. While eligible, applications for professional degrees such as law or business are generally not competitive. Most recipients are students who look forward to obtaining a Ph.D. in an academic discipline. Scholars are encouraged to begin graduate study as soon as possible following graduation from college, and must utilize all of the funding within five years of completion of undergraduate studies. Preference is given to candidates for whom the awarding of significant financial aid would increase the likelihood of the student's being able to attend graduate school.
Early Review:
Students are encouraged to submit drafts of their Beinecke Scholarship applications to the Office of Scholarships well in advance of the campus deadline in order to receive feedback from the office. The Office is willing to work with students through numerous revisions. Submit the application via email attachments to topscholars@illinois.edu with a few potential meeting times to receive feedback.
REQUIRED Campus Deadline Tuesday, February 3, 2009:
The campus deadline for completed applications (including official transcripts from all colleges and three letters of recommendation) is February 3, 2009. A complete Beinecke application must be submitted to the Scholarships Office in order to be considered for University of Illinois endorsement (a requirement to move forward in the competition). Based on your submittal, a Beinecke Campus Review Committee will determine your endorsement. The University will endorse a candidate the Committee feels has the potential to be a Beinecke Scholar; only one applicant may receive this endorsement.
Required information:
- A completed application form
- A personal statement of 1,000 words or less
- A current resume
- Official transcripts from all colleges (including community colleges where you may have only taken one course and study abroad transcripts, unless both the grades and credits of all courses appear on your Illinois transcript)
- 3 Letters of Recommendation - primarily from faculty members (drafts acceptable) that assess the nominee's intellectual curiosity, character, and potential for advanced graduate study
- A Financial Data Sheet completed by a financial aid officer certifying that the student qualifies for need-based financial aid
Any endorsed student will submit a final application packet, including any updated materials, to the Office of Scholarships by noon on Wednesday, February 25, 2009.
The Final Stages:
The Scholarships Office submits an official Certification of Eligibility Form and writes a letter summarizing the reasons for the nominee's selection to the Beinecke Foundation. The Office submits all of your application materials to the Foundation for review. The final selection will be announced by May 1, 2009.
General Application Tips:
Personal Statement: The personal statement should describe your background, interests, plans for graduate study and career aspirations. The statement should include a discussion of some experiences and ideas that have shaped those interests, plans and aspirations.
Beinecke Website:
For official information on the Beinecke Scholarship Program (which supercedes any information provided here), please go to: www.beineckescholarship.org.
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David Schug and Laura Hastings, Directors The Office of Prestigious Scholarships Fifth Floor, Illini Union Bookstore, MC-317 807 South Wright Street Champaign, IL 61820 Phone: (217) 333-4710 Fax: (217) 217-244-4851 topscholars@illinois.edu |
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